Shaving Throughout History

Posted on 27th July 2015 by HQ Writer… Erin

Prehistoric cave drawings illustrate that men in the Stone Age used stone flints and shells as a means to remove unwanted hair.

The Ancient Egyptians removed all of their body hair with copper razors. Facial hair symbolized personal neglect, so affluent men typically kept a barber as a member of their household staff and maintained a clean-shaven look.

The Romans weren't allowed to grow facial hair as it was believed that their enemies used beards to their advantage as a handhold in war.

The world's oldest existing barber, Truefitt and Hill opened in 1805 and can be located on St James's Street, London.

The straight edge razor was established in 1828 in Sheffield.

Between 1860 and 1916, uniform regulation in the British Army stipulated that every soldier should have a moustache.

The crew members on Apollo 10 became the first to shave in space in May 1969. After electric shavers with vacuum attachments didn't work in testing, the astronauts used a brushless shaving cream and standard safety razors during their flight.

The electric razor was first patented in 1921 by US Army Colonel Jacob Shtick.

Shaving cream didn't always come in an aerosol can; the method wasn't even introduced until 1950.

In 1975, Bic introduced its disposable razor to the market. This was a turning point within the market as men no longer had to sharpen or replace their blades.